Evening capital. (Annapolis, Md.) 1884-1910, 1887-11-08
ANNAPOLIS MD. TUESDAY EVENING NOvENIBERs 1887.
DIAMOND MINES.
PRECIOUS STONES FOUND IN THE
REGIONS OF GOLCONDA.

zil-The Famous Kimberly-New South
Wales and Borneo--Ceylon's Valuable
Gems.
There arc in India three extensive tracts
widely separated from one another, in
which the diamond has been sought for
| The name of Golconda, originally applied
to capital town NOW deserted fort in
| the neighborhood of Hyderabid), seems to
| have been used for whole kingClom but
the town itself is many miles distant from
| the nearest diamond mines. and it was
only the mart where the precious stones
were bought and sold. The second Great
! tract occupies an immense area between
| the MGhanuda and the GodNCry rivers;
and the third great tract il S,tuatUl IN
| Dundclcund near the capital of WHICH
| Punnah-some of the mines are found.
| For those content with n SLOWLY raying
| occupation and II hard life, involving close
| supervision of the workers, diamond min
| ing will pay, provided such persons os-
| sess capital sufficient to last tie,l u few
| years. The diamonds now are usually
brought from Partial, close To ne south
crn portion of the Nizam's GCn.inions.
| The deepest pits are not more than twelve
feet. The matriX of the diamond in hose
localities is Il conglomeratc sandstone.
The appliances of mo,sern machinery for
excavation, etc. direCs C.i 10y mcH Cf set
ence, may possibly bring to light gems
that have not been discovered by The ri;t.e
native processes of search.
1t would be curious to ascertain the
yield of diamonds in the cast from those
mines in the last $50 years and of Braz;i
in the last $50 years since the discovery
there; but no such data are obtainahle,
nor indeed can any reliable estimate b.
formed of the value of the diamonds
owned in different countries.
From the four principal mines in Gri-
qHuland (Which all lie within circle with
Il diameter of three miles,, calculating the
amount of diamondiferous ground re-
moved and the known average yield per
load in each, il is found that not less than
33, 600, coo carats of diamonds Tor more
than liz tons weight) must have been
extracted since the first discovery, realiz-
ing in round numbers $40 1000, 600.
TIE FAMOUS KIMBERLEY.
The yield of diamonds from the ILimbcr-
ley mine alone, from the opening in 1871
to the end of 1880 is stated to Lave cX-
ceeded 100000 carats, equal to three
and one-half tons weight of precious
stones, in value about 600, 1000, 900. To
obtain this as many thousand tons of reef
and ground have had to be excavated
The mine is $50 feet deep, and the cubical
contents of this huge cavity measures
about 8, 600, coo cubic wards. Four thous-
and Kaffirs are employed at this mine,
and more than 20,GG0 natives Of Africa
arrive yearly at the mines in search Of
work; so that the employment Of native
labor and the development of native trade
are incidental benefits conferred on South
Africa by the discovery of the diamond
fields.
The Dutch government arc the owners
of the diamond mines i'll DOrnco. which
are situated in the district Of I.anGak, in
the territory of POnteyaEal; they are
worked by Dyaks and Malays, but with
far superior skill by the Chinese. The
gems are found in yellow coloYcd ler;:vel,
at depths ranging to sixty feet. Adj
vances are made to the miners who are
bound to deliver all stones II - per cent.
below their market vGl.;c.
Diamond mining in New South Wales
is likely to become of much iI1purtance,
and the colonists are sGsltui:c ,f Icing
able to compete with South Me- = his
trade. Twelve thousand Giai, lave
been obtained up to the PR me,
chiefly from the tertiary cl;tt re-
cent drifts in the Bingcra.sl'. nd
Chittagong districts III" / ia
mond yet found weighed l6". 's. or
about 5 5S carats. They ;fc !. cod
color and quality. Compan;cs =" re
capital are forming TO buy TIT; rk
the extensive diamond fields Il. y.
Other gem stones found Ill tl.;t re
garnets, the common emerald IN
beryD, Oriental emerald (yrcch sup rct.
royal blue sapphire, white and pal, Blue
topaz and agates.
CFYLoN's PRECIOUS STONES.
Ceylon has always had a reputation for
its richness in precious stones. Inferior
kinds, such as the moonstone and the
garnet, are found in the beds Of streams
about Randy, Newara Eleya. Badulla and
some of the small rivers of the south: But
the more precious stones, such as the
ruby, the blue sapphire the Oriental topaz
of various yellows, the Alexandria ard
the cats eye, must be sought within n
radius of thirty or forty miles from Ratna-
pura, the city of gems.
The search for gem stones is carried on
in the most primitive manner in Ccylsn.
The soil, supposed to be rich in precious
stones, is rented for an annual sum from
the government. Coolies are set to work
to dig the earth, which is heaped ND on
one side, and then washed through n
trough with variously sized perforated
zinc stops, which retain all stones, accord
ing TO their sizes. These are placed on Il
table or fiat surface, and the gems are
easily distinguished and picked ont. The
proportion of gems capable of being cut
and really marketable is not more than
l per cent.
OF the siliceous gems, the amethyst, of
purplish violet hue, is the most valu-
able. The best amethysts are brought
from Cambay in India, and from Siberia,
Ceylon and Persia, where they are found
both lining the cavities of goodies and in
rolled masses. The chief supply of the blue
turquoise Is drawn from the peninsula Of
Sinai, the greet mining district of the an
Gent Egyptians. Professor p. J.. Sim